Retirement brings a number of challenges for many people. There are losses to contend with. Income goes down, friends are left, structure recedes, and one’s identity shifts. Many jobs or careers bring meaning and purpose. Suddenly the retiree is faced with, “What now?”
Though for many there is grief associated with leaving a career or job, there is also opportunity. I like to think of retirement as a transition. Like a college graduation, the time is ripe to move on and do something different. The challenge becomes filling one’s time with activities that are meaningful, purposeful, and enjoyable.
With time and health, many people discover talents that have been dormant. One friend saw an advertisement for woodworking tools in a magazine. On impulse, he ordered some and began sculpturing in wood. He now sells his work. Other friends have become late in life painters and sculptors.
Transitions can be complicated. It is not always clear to the retiring person what he or she wants to do with new large amounts of time. It may take some time to sort out what old and new activities are meaningful. Letting go of the past and initiating toward the future have a push, pull relationship that often isn’t worked out overnight.
An active post-work life can bring new growth and development. Part of each person’s psychological work is to create a personal, historical narrative that integrates past and present. A life that makes sense brings self-empathy and acceptance.
Retirement brings into focus the finite nature of life. However, the new 70 can be the old 50 with reasonable health. The ski areas know this as they keep upping the price of senior tickets. In the old days, the over 70 crowd skied for free. No more!
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